1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system, method, and computer program for encoding, processing and decoding data that provides for enhanced speed and efficiency. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system, method, and computer program for encoding, processing and decoding a large volume of data having different types of data fields, arranged as collections of data values of varying length, that is stored and readily accessible from storage for use in the preparation of reports.
2. Discussion of the Background
In fields where a large volume of data is processed, such as the healthcare field, there is a continuing need to store a large volume of data that may have many different types or categories of data fields. For example, in the healthcare field, different data categories for respective patients may include diagnosis related data, procedures performed, inpatient length of stay and cost information. Further, other data categories may include the patent's age, ethnic and gender information. Hereinafter, a data field is used to describe a collection of data values, such as the column name for a column of data in a row-column table or database. It is frequently necessary to access the data related to these data fields after the data has been stored, such as generating reports that combine portions of data selected from different types of data fields.
Data fields tend to vary in both data size and data type. A data type, for instance, may be, but is not limited to, numeric, alphanumeric, date, and currency. For example, cost and length of stay information may be represented as numerical values. Whereas, diagnoses, diagnosis related groups (DRG) and medical procedures may be represented as alphanumerical codes that identify particular diagnoses or procedures, respectively. Further, the size of a data field may vary depending on the maximum numerical value associated with the data field. Additionally, some types of data fields may be used as independent variables, while other types serve as dependent variables. An independent variable is defined as any variable for which counts are computed for each data value or group of values. Further, a dependent variable is defined as any variable for which meaningful statistics are computed for each independent variable or combination of independent variables. For example, in an important class of reports, independent variables may represent age, gender, diagnoses and procedures. Whereas, dependent variables may represent statistics, such as the length of stay and cost information that are calculated based on selected age, gender, diagnoses and/or procedures.
Differences among respective types of data fields tend to impede efforts to efficiently store and access different data types in a common storage arrangement. In providing improved storage and access for such data, it is important to ensure that users will be able to readily generate reports of different kinds, each comprising a different combination of available stored data fields.